Railway car



Jan. I 1924 H. W. SANFORD RAILWAY CAR Filed May 10, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 1, 1924 H. W. SANFORD RAILWAY CAR Filed May 10, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 aid!" Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES ,mza

HUGH W. SANFORD, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

RAILWAY CAR.

Application filed May 10, 1921. Serial 170,468,253.

To all whom it mayco'acem:

Be it known that I, HUGH W. SANFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference belnglhad to the accompanying drawing.

y improvement relates particularly to the frame and draw bar construction of mine cars and contractors cars, will be obvious that the invention may be applied to cars of other types.

The obgect of the improvement is to provide a rai way car of economical and durable construction. In its referable embodiment this object is attained by making the longitudinal sills of structural iron, the ends of the sills being bent sidewise to form an archshape end and to form a housing, or socket for the draw-bar.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan of a part of a car constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line,

2-2, ofFig. 1;

Flg. 3 is an upri ht section on the line, 33, of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 4 is an upright section on the line, 44, of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line, 5-5, of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an n right section on the line, 6-6, of Fig. 1, coking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4, the sills being without the 1 wer flange;

Fig. 8 is a similar view, the sills being flat bars or plates without flanges;

Fig. 9 is an u right section on the line, 9-9, of Fig. 8, coking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 land 6, of said drawings, A and B are the side or longitudinal} sills formed of structural channel steel or iron so as to have their top and bottom flanges projecting outward as ,illustrated in Fig. 4.: At the front ofi car, these side sills are bent horizontaliyite meet at the middle longitudinal upright plane of the car to form an arch-shape end of the frame comprising the parts, A and B and the meeting ends, A and B are bent toward the body of the car parallel to each other,

although it with the flanges of one end meeting the flanges of the other end, whereby a housing or socket for the draw bar, D, hereinafter described, is formed. The parts, A and B are joined to each other by a reinforcing bridge plate, C, applied across the outer face of said parts and extending from the lower flange upward to the height of the lower outer face of the draw bar. Said bridge plate is secured to the parts, A and B by means of rivets, C A horizontal shaft, F, extends transversely across the end of the car frame and through the side sillsand the ends, A and B at a height which will bring the upper face of said shaft to a level with the upper edge of the bridge plate, C, whereby said shaft may also form a support for the lower face of the draw bar. F are applied to the shaft, F, at the outer side of each sill to hold said shaft against endwise movement. Thus said shaft serves to stay the side sills and the ends, A and B Above the shaft, F, the end, A, has an upright slot, A and the end, B has a corresponding upright slot, B in alignment with the slot, A A bar-form tie key, E, extends horizontally through said slots and has a head, E at one end and a nut, E at the other end, whereby said key is'hel d in place and serves the double purpose of aiding to stay the ends, A and 'B, and'to form an abutment for the springs described further on.

This makes an exceptionally strong construction, for the side sills form an arch at the end of the car which is strong and possesses a certain amount of spring which acts when the strain of a bump or pull on the car is applied. In addition to this cushioning effect, we have the economy of construction, the laterally bent side sills forming the ends of the car frame without the necessity of having another cross member.

The draw bar, D, which has been referred to as located within the housing or socket formed by the inward-turned, parallel ends, A and B of the sills, is rectangular in cross-section and is slidable endwise in said socket and is to have its endwise movement limited by any desirable means. In the form shown in the drawings, the tie key, E, already described, serves that purpose. The draw bar is chambered and each side wall, D has an opening, D through which the tie key extends, each of said openings being long enough to allow endwise movement of Cross pins,

the draw bar. Thus the draw bar surrounds the tie key and is slidable endwise relative to said key and said socket or housing. At its inner end the drawbar has an upri ht cro'ss wall, D In the space between t e tie key, E, and the cross wall, D, is a coil spring, D, which is compressed between said kc and said cross wall when the draw bar is drawn forward. At its outer end, the draw bar has an upright cross vwall, D5. Between said wall and the key, E, is a similar coil sprin D4, which is compressed when the dIttWiitI' is pushed inward. When the movement of the draw bar is sufiicient to bring the walls, D into engagement with the key, E, from either direction, the movement is arrested, and the compression of the spring then in progess proceeds no furtherl The. upper wall, and the lower wall, D, of the draw bar are shown continuous; but those walls may be apertu'red to reduce metal if so desired.

In Fig.7, sills, K and L, with parts K, K I), L corresgonding respectively to the parts A A ,.and B respectively, in Fig. 1, and having onl one flange, are substituted for the channe sills.

In Figs. 8 and 9, both flanges are absent from the sills, M and N, the sills being ordinary fiat bars or plates. In this form angle irons, M and N are riveted to the upper edges of the ends, M and N in such manner as to meet and cover the space between the ends, M and N.

From the foregoing and the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple form of car construction in which the steel side sills may be made out of structural steel, of channel, angle or plate form, as may be considered advisable, the sills being bent to form arches constituting the ends of the car frame, the two ends of the sills being, if desired, bent backward to form a socket or housing for the draw bar. When the material is flanged, as indicated in the drawings, the flanges form the upper wall of the socket or housing in which the spring draw-bar construction readily works.

As above stated, the ends of the car frame are practically of arch form, whereby a desirable elasticity is given to the structure, and at the same time we have a saving of material and a less expensive construction than has heretofore been used.

I- claim as my invention,

1. In a vehicle of the kind described, the combination of longitudinal sills formed of fla ged irons having their ends bent to form are shape members and then bent backward in parallel relationship, the flange stiifening the sills and forming a housing with parallel upright walls for a draw-bar. substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle of the kind described, the

' substantially combination of longitudinal sills formed of channel iron having their ends formed into arch-shape members serving as an end sill and then bent into parallel relationship, flanges of said channel irons meeting at the middle, upright, longitudinal plane of the frame and forming a housing with parallel upright walls'for a draw-bar, substantially as described.

3. In-a vehicle of the kind described, the combination of longitudinal sills formed of flanged irons having their endsformed with arch-shape members serving as an end sill and then bent into the body of-the frame into parallel relationship, the flanges on said irons stiffening the sills and abutting at the middle, upright, longitudinal plane of the frame to form a housing having parallel upright walls, and a draw-bar having its shank located in said housing, substantially as described. g

4. In a vehicle of the kind described, the combination of longitudinal sills having their ends formed into arch-shape members serving as an end sill for the car and then bent parallel to each other into the body of the frame to form a housing for a drawbar, and a member connecting the outer parts of said longitudinal sills and passing through said housing to support a draw-bar,

as described.

5; In a vehicle ofthe kind described, the combination of longitudinal sills having their ends formed into arch-shape members serving as an end sill for the car and then bent parallel to each other into the body of the'frame to form a housin for a draw-bar, a member connecting said I0 and passing through said housingto support a draw-bar and a reinforcing bar also adapted to support a draw-bar, substantially as described.

6. In a vehicle of thekind described, the combination with a draw-bar, of longitudinal sills having. their ends formed into archshape members serving as an end sill for the car and then bent backward parallel to each other to form a housing for said drawbar, and a member connecting said longitudinal sills and passing through said housing, substantiallyas described. 7

In a vehicle of the nature described. the combination of a draw-bar, lon itudinal' sills formed of flanged irons having their ends formed into arch-shape members serving as an end sill and then bent into the body of the frame into parallel relationship, the flanges on said irons stifl'enin the sills and abutting at the middle line 0 the frame to form a housing having J parallel upright walls and in which rests the shank or stem of, the draw-bar, and a member connectiii" said longitudinal sills and passingthrougfi said housing, substantially as described.v

- 8. In a vehicle of the nature described,

the

ngitudinal sills the combination of longitudinal sills having their ends bent to direct them toward the middle, upright, longitudinal plane of the frame and then bent parallel to each other toward the body of the frame, a tie key extending horizontally and transversely through said parallel ends, a draw-bar located between said ends and surrounding said tie key and being slidable endwise relative to said ends and said tie key, and a spring located within said draw-bar and having one end held by said key against movement, substantially as described.

9. In a vehicle of the nature described, the

15 combination of longitudinal sills having their ends bent to direct them toward the middle, upright, longitudinal plane of the frame and then bent parallel to each other toward the body of the frame, a tie key extending horizontally and transversely through said parallel ends, a draw-bar located between said ends and surrounding said tie key and being slidable endwise relative to said ends and said tie key, and a spring located within said draw-bar at each side'of said key, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, this second day of May, in the'year one thousand nine hundred and twenty-one.

Y HUGH W. SANFORD. 

